Thursday, August 27, 2015

Centralia is the latest novel from Mike Dellosso and his first to be published with Tyndale House. I've been a fan of Dellosso's ever since I read his book Scream, so I'm always eager to read whatever he has out next. Centralia is a gripping story because of its premise. A man named Peter Ryan can't find his wife and daughter, and although everyone tells him they died, he refuses to believe it's true. He begins a journey to find the truth and soon discovers that not everything is as it seems.

Dellosso has a way of crafting a story that keeps you guessing and also gets you thinking about deep questions of life. This book has been compared to The Bourne Identity, and there are some similarities, but the book struck me as the kind of story that Dellosso would write.

If you haven't read a Mike Dellosso novel, he's a truly gifted storyteller. Centralia is another example of this.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

When Mark Watney is believed to be dead on the surface of Mars, the rest of his Ares 3 team is forced to leave the planet before ever finding his body. But Watney isn't dead, and now he's alone on the surface of Mars with limited supplies and no way to contact his crew or Earth to let them know he's alive. Anyone in his position would likely lose hope of ever getting off of Mars alive, but Watney is resourceful, and he knows another team will return to Mars someday. If only he can gather all his resources to survive.

The Martian by Andy Weir was one of the most intense and most brilliant novels I've ever read. Weir clearly spent a lot of time researching for his story to make it seem believable. After all, no one has ever been on Mars, and any chance of survival seems hard to fathom, yet Weir tells a story of a man who is desperate to survive and has the wits to give it a solid try.

I loved the way the story was told. Watney writes log entries almost every day of his experiences on Mars. Those log entries are periodically interrupted by third-person narratives because Watney does face death at almost every moment. It's definitely one of those stories that keeps you on the edge of your seat to find out what will happen in the end. I highly recommend reading The Martian.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Better and Faster: The Proven Path to Unstoppable Ideas by Jeremy Gutsche is a book for business leaders and focuses on creating better ideas. Gutsche gives many examples from his own business, Trend Hunter.

He talks about two overarching metaphors: the Farmer and the Hunter. Both are important, but he lists some specific negative defaults that Farmers tend to fall into. He spends several chapters describing how to be Hunter when it comes to ideas. He discusses the different kinds of opportunities that Hunters need to take advantage of.

Better and Faster is a helpful book for business leaders, but its principles are helpful for anyone who needs to generate better ideas on a regular basis.

Friday, August 7, 2015

My daughter's not quite a pre-teen yet (she's only six), but when I saw the Faithgirlz Bible available for review on the BookLook Bloggers site, I thought it would be a good first Bible for her. First of all, the Bible's exterior is pink and purple, which are my daughter's favorite colors. It's also hardback, which makes it a little more durable, and it has a magnetic snap closure.

Inside the Bible, there are book introductions that are aimed toward young girls. There is also plenty of extras peppered throughout the text to help young girls understand the Bible better, memorize key Scriptures, and test their Scripture knowledge. My daughter can't fully read yet, but she loves this Bible and enjoys having it read to her.

Overall, I'd say this is a great Bible for young girls. It's very durable and the design is very age-appropriate.